I am running out of ideas, so let's try something different: today I will live-blog my reading of a research studyabout flipped learning. (Wow, that sounds boring.) If you're still here, then let's go!! First, thanks to Dr. Honeycutt (@BarbiHoneycutt) for bringing this study [linked above] to my attention. Thanks also to the good folks at Dovepress for making this piece available for free!

I must say that the title ​is discouraging. Why throw in the word "millennial"? Does the students' age really matter?? It seems like click-bait but oh yeah it worked for me, despite my better instincts.... My antennae prick up when anybody makes claims about "this digital generation" or "internet natives." My generation was surrounded by roads and cars, but that didn't make us great drivers at birth....

Anyway... the abstract discloses that many students preferred "a variety of learning formats over an 'all or nothing' learning format" but I'm still not sure what that means. They want a blend of blended learning experiences? (What would we even call that?!) The students "candid responses ... reflected millennial preferences for choice, flexibility, efficiency, and the ability to control their pace of learning...."Oh great, there's the word millennial again. How are we painting this whole generation of 20-somethings with the same brush?! I'm already skeptical.

Now I get to the part where the authors expand their stereotyping: "Most of today’s medical students are millennial or Generation Y learners. Millennials expect choice, flexibility, speed, and efficiency." Right, because in my old-fogey Generation X we HATED these things: "Make things slow, rigid, and inefficient!" is what we always said.* Ooh, there's a footnoted reference. Click the link for a Western Michigan University webpage and you get this. Hmmmmmm. we're off to a really bad start. More: "Millennials are technology savvy and often prefer to learn by trial and error5and by doing,4 both major components of the flipped classroom.6" I don't even bother to read these links, but you can click the numbers and see what you get. Blahdy-blah about flipped classrooms and then: "The following research questions were posed: Do first-year medical students (MS1s) prefer flipped or lecture-based formats or a combination of approaches? Which format do they think helps them learn better? What are students’ obstacles to mandatory attendance for flipped activities? Are there additional teaching strategies that would aid their learning styles?" OK, these are good questions! We're back on track.

* no we didn't

Wait, this was just a 3-week-long course? That doesn't give enough time for students to really get used to the method. Many of mine need more than 3 months! I'm unimpressed.

Now I only count about 65 millennials. It would not matter much if you hadn't made the point in your headline. Can I give the authors the benefit of doubt? Maybe they didn't write the title....

Oooh, there's a table for summarizing the open-response survey results. Let's jump down to that.

And for the student who feels "behind and inadequate" or "overshadowed": I'm sorry, but maybe you were!! How did you respond to that realization -- complain about the instruction, or use the vodcast availability to re-learn the material?

I also see some responses about discipline-specific distinctions, like flipping works better for anatomy than neurology. Sorry kids, but how would you know? You're still a student of these subjects, so how can you judge the best way for them to be taught??

"In this study, 68.7% of respondents thought that in-class practice activities for flipped sessions should be non-mandatory."​ That's it. I am done reviewing this article. I can't go any further, because these responders are so obnoxious. Lazy-ass scholarship, seeking the spoon-fed answers and unwilling to attend a class that might expand that knowledge. Nice. Maybe I'm acting like a grumpy old man from Generation X, but it seems absurd to base meaningful research on the gut reactions of some med-school students who spent no more than 3 weeks in a flipped-classroom model. Good night!

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Who is this flipping guy?!

Andrew Swan just finished year 18 of teaching middle school (currently 8th-grade US History/Govt in a Boston suburb). Previously he has taught 6th, 7th, and 8th grade English, ancient history, & geography in Maine and in Massachusetts. This was Andrew's 5th year of flipping all direct instruction, so we have more class time for simulations, deep discussions, analyzing primary sources ... and also to promote mastery for students at all levels. His 8th-grade daughter, 10th-grade son, and wonderful wife all indulge Andrew's blogging, tweeting, & other behaviors. These include co-moderating the #sschat Twitter sessions and Facebook page. ​Andrew does not always refer to himself in the third-person. Twitter: @flipping_A_tchrInstagram: aswan802